


broken

by noodlemangos



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Spoilers for Chapter 9, since the ep ignis trailer exists now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 00:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11771766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noodlemangos/pseuds/noodlemangos
Summary: Gladio had only been away for a moment, but when he found Ignis again, it was too late.





	broken

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at like 2am, and before Episode Ignis trailer was out, so it's not REALLY right but I like it so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Once Gladio saw the last of his civilian group to safety out the Hydrean's wrath, he waved to the thankful face before darting back into the crumbling city. He recited the order the tactician had given him before the evacuation, "See your group to safety, and meet me back at the square. We'll begin evacuating the next group then." 

It had taken him much longer to evacuate his group than anticipated- there was blockades of debris peppered throughout his route out of the city, and some people had injuries that needed attending to prior to attempting the treacherous path out of the city.  
Another building crumbled before him, its sharp pieces scratching his arm. He sucked in a breath and grimaced when he felt the warm drip of blood, but continued his trek through the shambled city. He turned his thoughts to the plan once again. He hoped Ignis was still sticking to their plan. Or, better yet, he had started evacuating the next group of civilians. The city was losing its integrity exponentially fast now, and soon it would be hard to get anyone out without injury.

The first thing he noticed as he approached his destination was that he did not recognize it as his destination. The large marble pillars he had been scouting for no longer loomed over the square. He only realized it once one of the large structures obstructed his path. 

He felt himself grow tense, and the feeling only built when he noticed a few injured civilians scattered about the square. What had happened? As he treated the injuries as best he could manage, he inquired to what had become of the area. The story he received was as fractured as the square- an imperial attack, some civilian resistance, an explosion.

His racing thoughts calmed enough to dredge up a new worry from the back of his mind- the reason he was here. Ignis.

He scrambled over the ruins of the square, calling out for him whenever the growing tightness in his throat subsided. He tried asking the remaining people there if they had seen him, but his racing mind and dry throat prevented him from uttering to them more than a few brief descriptions, "Wearing black. Pointy brown hair. Glasses."

A few people claimed to have seen him before the explosion, but none seemed to know his current whereabouts. He nodded weakly to them in thanks and continued his frantic search. 

He neared the center of the detonation. The area was razed, large beams of marble reduced to sharp fragments. From a few feet away he heard a shout from one of the civilians who was attempting to help him. He ignored it- his mind and injury were doing enough shouting that he did not need the extra source of stress. A minute or so later, he realized that the shouting from the civilian hadn't ceased, he decided to focus his attention on it.

"Hey, big guy! I think there's someone here."

As he approached, he realized the civilian was right. In front of the civilians was a mixture of chunks of pillar and shrapnel left over from the explosion. He heard the civilian say, "Now that I think about it, someone tried to shield some of us from the blast with a large piece of the pillars..." Murmurs of agreement rippled through the small crowd there. 

Gladio nodded. He knew they were right about one thing: there was definitely someone here. He saw scraps of fabric and shrapnel splattered with an unmistakable crimson. He turned to address the group, pausing between his words to speak in much more coherent thoughts, "I'll handle this, you keep looking."

They nodded and scattered to other areas of rubble. He dug around in the rubble until he felt his hand hit something warm. Jerking his hand back in surprise, the hand he drew back was covered in blood. "Hell...." he muttered, and felt a surge of panic threaten him. A few deep breaths pushed this feeling back down, and he gingerly removed some of the larger obstructions. 

He saw a crumpled figure, still embedded in some of the remaining rubble. There was blood everywhere- the figure's face was almost completely covered in blood, and was starting to pool below them. The figure was almost completely unrecognizable except for the black clothes they wore, now torn and stained, and the broken pair of glasses laying in the pool and-Oh god. Gladio let out a sharp gasp, and felt his breath catch. He realized he could barely feel himself, and what he could feel was shaking. He felt himself start breathing again, but his breaths were rapid, like his body had only just remembered how to breathe.

"Iggy, hey, Iggy," He managed to choke out. He numbly removed debris until he was able to carefully slide Ignis out of his confinement, and cradled him to inspect his injury. It was worse up close, and he was immediately overwhelmed with the smell of fresh blood. Gladio determined the source of most of the blood was the top-left of Ignis' face, which was replaced by a crimson blot that spread across the rest of his face. He also noticed shards of both city and glasses lodged into the wound, wincing as he removed a sizable shard. 

A shrill roar jolted Gladio, and a torrent of thoughts inundated Gladio's blankness. Leviathan. Noctis' orders of protecting the civilians. The thought that persisted was, "Protect the civilians." He needed to go. He knew this, but what was he to do? Carrying Ignis out with him would immensely slow his evacuation process, and in turn put more civilians at risk. But Ignis was badly, badly hurt, and he couldn't guarantee his safety. 

Another roar shook the air, and Gladio tore his eyes away from Ignis to inspect the surroundings. Despite the rubble, the area was now rather calm, like the eye of a storm. On the outskirts of the square, some skeletons of destroyed houses still stood. One word crossed his mind: Shelter. Would Ignis be safe there? Gladio decided it was a risk he'd have to take to fulfill his duty. He shakily rose to his feet, Ignis' motionless form still draped across his arms. He could at least feel his limbs again, he noted, and began making haste for the buildings.

Once he had reached one, he located a spot away from anything that could be too badly destroyed by a rampaging sea monster. Gladio gently lay Ignis on his selected spot, and wrapped his jacket around Ignis' head. It was shoddy, but it was better than leaving the wound exposed, Gladio determined.

"I'll be back soon, I promise." He reassured, mostly to himself, "Hang in there until I get everyone out." As he left, he felt the water in his eyes and a sob form in his chest. Wiping these away, he called to the remaining civilians to follow him to safety.


End file.
